The title of today’s column – Never Give Up – not only serves as great motivational advice, but it also happens to be one of my personal mottos. It’s one of the things I have learned in my brief time on this wonderful planet: If you want to find success and reach your goals in this life, you simply must embrace this powerful mantra. Never give up is a potent mental soundtrack that wise and successful people silently play in their heads as an accompaniment to their daily lives. Think of it as an invisible mental iPod pumping motivation and perseverance into every cell in your body thereby impacting the very essence of who you are as a person. The great Thomas Edison is a prime example of someone who never gave up.

I read that Edison believed it would only take him a few weeks to invent the light bulb. The reality is it took him more than two years as he conducted 6,000 test runs looking for just the right filament. As Edison once wrote, "Genius is one percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration." He found so much success in his life because he never gave up. So my message to you today is delivered in these three words that are at the heart of most great accomplishments in this life. No matter what task you have before you today, and regardless of the difficulty it presents, never give up. The benefits of persevering are enormous, and you and your dreams are definitely worth the effort!